Ginter Botanical Garden. Copyright 2012: singeronthesand
If the snake bites before it's been charmed,
What's the point in then sending for the charmer?
Ecclesiastes 10:10
I've made a new life resolution in May instead of a New Year's resolution in January. I am what the trade calls an impulse shopper. Get me into a Target (my favorite store), and I can find a hundred things that I desperately need. It is amazing how quickly I talk myself into stuff, then realize that I have spent far more than I intended. I'm even worse on the Internet, particularly if there is a new Groupon for my area. Not acquainted with Groupon? It is a discount coupon program that has expanded into almost every major metropolitan area, offering coupons for 50-75% off almost anything. I regard such offerings as "free money," and love to look at the daily special that comes right into my inbox! $12 of cheesecake for only $6? Right on!! Let's buy three of them!
I am sure that you can see my need for a new resolution! And here it is: for anything over $5 that I happen upon in a store, in one of my magazines, or on the Internet, I have to wait 24 hours before purchasing to be sure that it is something I really need. Forcing myself to walk away from the store or the computer is wonderful exercise, and it also has saved me an amazing amount of money in the last three weeks.
My father had a different take on this parable from Ecclesiastes: What good is shutting the barn door when the horse is already gone? The time to engage the brain is before the action is taken - excellent advice for much more than impulsive spending.
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